Professor Holmes
by KarnerLacewing
Summary: John Watson is sick of his boring high school and can not wait to graduate and join the army, that is until he meets his new Chemistry teacher, Sherlock Holmes, and suddenly things become a lot less boring.
1. Chapter 1

In all his years of life, John Watson never expected to actually be excited for school, yet here he was, heart pumping against his chest in anticipation for the new school year. Finally, it was the beginning of the end, and in less than a year, he will graduate, join the army, and get the hell out of here. Words could not properly express how completely and utterly sick he was of Baker High School. Absolutely nothing exciting happened here, and John Watson was _dying_ for some excitement.

The sandy-haired boy had woken up promptly at five a.m.. He made sure he would have enough time to shower, pick an outfit out, brush his hair so it didn't look _too_ terrible, and eat a nice, hearty breakfast before having to go to school. Currently, he was waiting for the bus. Though he had a license and could drive, there is no way he could afford to get his own car, and his father was not the type of man to buy a car for his son. John's father earned everything he ever got in life, and he was adamant on raising John to be the same. "A real man works hard for the things he wants in life," he would say.

The school bus stopped in front of John's house. He stepped onto the old, rumbling bus, greeted the driver, and took a seat across from his friend Molly. "Morning, John! How was your break?" she asked cheerfully.

"Oh, not too bad, yours?" John spent the next few minutes catching up with his friend. She, of course, had an uneventful break, and it came as no surprise that the most exciting thing that happened to her was getting a new kitten and teaching it to use the litter box in just a single day. She seemed genuinely proud of herself though, and as she showed John pictures of the kitten, Mr. Muffins, John made sure to put off a good act of enthusiasm. There was no sense in hurting her feelings just because he was bored of normal, everyday occurrences being treated as something interesting - God, how John craved something _actually_ interesting.

Almost as if she were reading his mind, Molly changed the subject. "Oh, did you hear about the new chemistry teacher?" Now, _that_ peaked John's interest. Baker High hadn't had any need teachers for as long as John had been there. Suddenly, he wasn't so upset about chemistry being scheduled as his first class of the day.

"No, I didn't actually. My parents never read the newsletters from the school; who is it?" John was leaning forward in his seat now, waiting to hear any gossip Molly had about the new teacher. Girls always knew gossip, somehow.

Molly subconsciously could tell that John was finally genuinely interested in what she was saying, so she was happy to share the information she had. "Well, all the newsletter said was that there was going to be a new chemistry teacher and his name is Sherlock Holmes."

"Holmes? Like - ?"

"Yeah, like Headmaster Holmes, it must be his brother or something!" she said in excitement. "I wonder if they are anything alike?" Suddenly, she wasn't so excited. "Oh God, I hope not…do you have him first period too?"

John nodded to answer Molly's question, but his mind was a million miles away. Headmaster Holmes was a very, very smart man, but instead of passing his knowledge on to students, he wanted to be in charge of the people that did. It was obvious that he enjoyed being in a position of power, and he ran the school on a strict "no tolerance" policy, and there was a lot he had no tolerance for, mediocrity being at the top of his list. It's for this reason that Baker High School students test higher than any school in the district, and had the largest amount of graduates in the nation. So, anyone related to Mycroft Holmes couldn't be much different from him...maybe taking a chemistry class taught by a Holmes wasn't so exciting after all… John was already uncertain that he would pass the class, and now that a Holmes was teaching it, he will be held up to much higher standards.

Hopefully Molly will be his lab partner. She was a much better student than he was. If it weren't for her he wouldn't have passed biology last semester. She was just so damn good at dissecting those frogs..

As the bus pulled up to the school, John's excitement turned into anxiety. If he doesn't pass this chemistry class, then he doesn't get to graduate, which would mean staying here longer than he wants to. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe this new teacher will only ensure that he passes the class, the same way the Headmaster ensured that as many students graduate as possible. John just had to think positively, if he didn't he might have a panic attack. Graduating meant everything to him, so he would make it happen, and that was that.

When John and Molly entered the chemistry room, they expected to be able to sit wherever they pleased like most teachers let them do on the first day. Much to John's surprise, there was a seating chart already neatly drawn out on a whiteboard on the left side of the room, which was new in addition to one on the right side of the room. Before, this room had only had the single whiteboard in the front of the room. The year prior, this classroom was Mr. Anderson's History room. He appeared to have been relocated across the hall to a much smaller classroom. He couldn't have been too happy about that.

Unfortunately, John wasn't supposed to sit next to Molly. So much for having her as a lab partner. As John approached his spot in the front of the class next to Jessica Laney, a really attractive, yet really dumb girl, he sighed in annoyance. Her boyfriend, Clarence O'Malley, was sitting in his seat. "I believe you're sitting in my assigned seat, O'Malley."

Clarence was a big guy, Captain of the Rugby team, with when he scowled at John, that was all it took to make him shut his mouth and just sit in O'Malley's seat next to Molly on the other side of the room. Mr. Holmes was a new teacher, so he wouldn't know. He would just assume that John was Clarence. Oh well, it's only one class, it wasn't a big deal, especially since he would have Molly as a partner after all.

The entire classroom was buzzing with multiple conversations, all centered around the new teacher, who still wasn't anywhere to be seen. Most teachers were in their classrooms before any students showed up, especially on the first day of school. It was already apparent that Mr. Holmes was not "most teachers".

The first bell rang and everyone rushed away from their friends and to their assigned seats. Well, everyone besides John and Clarence. The class waited in silent anticipation. The entire room was practically humming with energy. John tapped his fingers lightly on the table anxiously, where was the teacher?

Five minutes went by and the second bell went off, signifying the start of class. If a student wasn't in class by that second bell then they would be considered tardy.

When the door to the classroom suddenly swung open, there was a collective jump amongst the students. A tall, lean figure swooped into the room, his hair was dark and curly, and he sported a long coat and a scarf, which he promptly slipped off and tossed onto his desk in the corner of the room, which happened to be across from where John was supposed to be sitting. The man did not dress like most teachers dressed. He was wearing a dark purple button down shirt with no tie, very nice, black dress pants, and expensive-looking shoes. The darkness of his clothes was an amazing contrast to his pale skin, which also seemed to make his cheekbones stand out more. He looked _nothing_ like his brother, though they did have the same upright posture. All of the girls in the class instantly swooned, especially Molly. John had never met a teacher that was so young and conventionally attractive before. Needless to say, his interest was caught once again.

The teacher hardly even looked at the class before turning his back and writing his name on the whiteboard. "I am Professor Holmes, and I will be your chemistry teacher. Do not refer to me as 'Mr. Holmes', I spent many _dull_ years at a university to jump through all the proper hoops to be able to get my teaching degree even though I was smarter than my teachers and you can't imagine how insufferable that was, so I didn't go through all of that to be called ' _Mr.'_ besides -" he finally turned to face the class, "Mr. Holmes is my brother, and there's no need for confusion." There was a very brief moment of silence before he continued, "This class will _not_ be easy. I should be educating university students, but I am doing this as a favor to my dear brother." it was clear from his tone of voice that he wasn't too fond of the Headmaster. "Even though the majority of you are mindless twits, some of you may still have potential, so as such I will hold you each up to the expectations I have of you. Know now that if you start to fail my class and I don't seem to care, it's because I don't. I already who is going to fail or pass just by looking at you all, but, a few of you may surprise me." Wow, he certainly was direct, wasn't he?

"Now, if you haven't noticed, I talk fast, so do try to keep up. Don't bother trying to take notes, it will only slow you down. I want everyone engaged in this class, and before anyone asks, I will hand out small packets with all noteworthy information at the end of each class so that you all may study at home. Now, let's get started, shall we?" Professor Holmes scanned the classroom with his bright blue eyes, and a slight crease appeared in between his eyebrows. "For God sake, I put up a seating chart for a reason. O'Malley, please tear yourself away from your girlfriend and give Mr. Watson his correct seat."

John was slightly stunned. How could he possibly know that they were sitting in the wrong seats just by glancing at the room for a moment? Clarence stood up from the seat angrily and stomped his way to the other side of the classroom. As he passed John, he made sure to slam his shoulder into him, almost knocking him over. Even though it hurt, John did his best to not react or let O'Malley have the satisfaction of successfully bullying him. He just quietly took his seat next to Jessica, his arm throbbing in pain.

Sherlock narrowed his eyes at Clarence, but once he was seated in his correct seat, he started the class without any other distractions. It was the quietest John had ever witnessed his classmates be. Everyone paid complete attention to the new teacher. By the end of the class, John actually felt like he learned something. It was such a relief to not have to worry about taking the right notes while listening to everything being said. When the bell rang, everyone actually waited for Professor Holmes to dismiss the class.

"Don't forget to grab your packet of notes, there will be a quiz in three morning." At the corner of his desk there was a small box with, as promised, sufficient notes. John purposefully took a while to pack up his stuff so that he would be the last to leave.

John approached the desk and took the last packet out of the box "I uh, I just wanted to say, that was brilliant. All of it."

"Yes, I know." Sherlock said, hardly looking up from his lesson plans as he did.

"And, erm, thanks for sorting the whole thing with Clarence. He's a git." John felt a bit awkward. He wasn't sure where to go from here, or why he was talking to the professor at all.

"Yes, it would appear that he isn't he's not as tough as he seems. He's physically strong to hide emotional weakness. Next time, stand up for yourself. Now, run along, don't be late to your next class, I have no tolerance for tardiness" ah, there was that bit of Mycroft in him. It was apparent that the conversation was over, and John did as he was told and hurried to his next class, still bewildered by his new teacher.


	2. Chapter 2

"John….John! Helloooooo? Is anybody in there?" John blinked his eyes a few times and focused on Molly. They were sitting together at a small round table in the corner of the cafeteria, as all the other tables were taken. In front of them were rectangular trays filled with bad food, and a little cardboard container of milk. Molly had been trying to get John's attention for the last five minutes, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Yeah, sorry, just uh, spacing out a bit. Tired."

"You've been spacing out all day. Even in Mrs. Hudson's home ec class! You love Mrs. Hudson! What's going on with you?" Molly seemed genuinely concerned.

John sighed, "I'm fine, Molly. I just got a lot on my mind, you know, last year of school and all that. It's a lot to take in." Molly nodded in understanding.

"So, I never had the chance to ask how you like our new teacher? It's a shame we only have a few classes together this year." As always, Molly somehow knew exactly what John wanted to talk about. He hadn't been spacing out all day because it was the last year of school, he was spacing out because his thoughts were focused on the new teacher. John was so accustomed to boring people that meeting someone as different as Professor Holmes had completely rocked his world. He found himself wishing that every class he went to was his chemistry class. Compared to it, every other class just seemed so, well, dull.

"I like him. He is a bit intense but he is definitely interesting-"

"And handsome! Don't forget handsome!" John rolled his eyes at Molly. Her face flushed red as she mentioned the Professor's good looks. She was so used to the average looking boys at their school, so he couldn't really blame her. "I just think he's wonderful!"

"Oh man, I hope you're not talking about that new teacher!" John and Molly looked up from their disappointing school food to see Sally Donovan, Greg Lestrade, and a few other randoms that John had never taken the time to know.

"So what if we are?" John asked, almost defensively.

"The guy is a total FREAK SHOW! Not to mention a complete arse! That man is ANYTHING but wonderful!" Donovan scowled as she spoke, as if the Professor were right in front of her. She and Greg took a seat at the table, and their friends went off to sit somewhere else. They probably had been listening to Donovan bitch about the same things over and over and didn't want to hear it again.

"I actually found him to be quite brilliant," John mumbled, shoving some flavorless food into his mouth.

"Brilliant? PLEASE! He's a fraud!" Donovan leaned in forward and lowered her voice a bit before she continued. "Mr. Anderson told me that he didn't even finish university. The man doesn't have a teaching degree and he's going around demanding we call him Professor? What kind of sociopath does that?!"

"Oh will you please just shut it, Sally!" Lestrade finally said, cutting Sally off from her major rant. "Mr. Anderson is just mad that Professor Holmes took his classroom, and he only told you that because he knows you're a gossip and would spread it around. So just knock it off. Besides, you only think he's an arse because he called you out on your weird love affair you have with Mr. Anderson that everyone knows about but won't talk about." With that, Greg stuffed his mouth with food and was quiet again. Greg never really was a big talker unless he felt strongly about something. Standing up for Professor Holmes was his way of saying that he liked the chemistry teacher, without having to outright say it.

Sally's eyes were huge, and she raised her voice back up as she said "Mr. Anderson would never lie to me! That freak only got this job because his brother is the Headmaster!"

"Oh, is that so, Miss Donovan?" Sally froze, and slowly turned around to see the Headmaster himself. He towered over her, his dark eyes staring down at the speechless student. As Donovan stumbled over her words, he spoke over her. "Because if you are implying that I am incompetent enough to hire an educator without said educator having the proper credentials, simply because he is my brother, then you are _also_ implying that I am incompetent enough to let a relationship between a student and a teacher go unpunished." A wicked grin spread across the Headmaster's face. "And my dear, your implications would be _entirely_ incorrect. Now, come with me, I believe phone calls to your parents and the authorities are in order."

John and Molly looked at each other in shock. Almost every student had known about Donovan's ongoing, gross relationship with Mr. Anderson, but Sherlock Holmes finally put an end to it! As they watched Sally leave with Mr. Holmes, John leaned toward Greg and asked, "How did Professor Holmes know about her thing with Mr. Anderson anyway?"

"Sally asked him the same thing. He said he didn't know, he _noticed._ Whatever the hell that means. I'm just glad he put a stop to it. It was seriously starting to gross me out." John could only nod in agreement. John would have to ask Professor Holmes what he meant by "I didn't know, I noticed." It could be the same reason why he instantly knew John and Clarence had switched seats this morning, and how he knew that it was Clarence who had taken John's seat, not the other way around. It would also explain how he knew that Clarence was physically strong to hide emotional weakness, if that was true. Maybe he was some sort of super genius?

The three teenagers ate the rest of their lunch in silence. John's thoughts were buzzing all around his head. The more he learned about his new teacher, the more mysterious he became. What if Mr. Anderson wasn't lying to Sally? What if Professor Holmes really didn't get his teaching degree? Sure, the Headmaster himself said that it was false, but would he really admit it if it were true? Ultimately, John decided that it didn't matter. All that mattered was that something finally interesting was happening at this school, and he couldn't be happier about it.

* * *

"For Christ's sake, Sherlock, you need to be more careful! Enough showing off! You're supposed to be keeping a low profile!" Sherlock smirked as he listened to his brother prattle along. He was so funny when he was upset.

"For Christ's sake? Mycroft I'm surprised that you'd think the sake of an imaginary deity would matter to me in the slightest." Mycroft sighed heavily, which pleased Sherlock. There was nothing he enjoyed more than annoying his dear brother. "Besides, you asked me to do this for you as a favor. As long as I'm doing my job you can't exactly complain about how I do it. It's my first day and I'm already uncovering dirt for you!"

"I had to fire one of my most loyal teachers because of you!" the elder of the Holmes brothers exclaimed.

"No, you had to fire one of your most loyal teachers because he was sleeping with a student. Honestly, Mycroft it was right under your nose, how could you not know?" Mycroft stopped his pacing around his office and finally sat down in one of the seats in front of his desk, as Sherlock had already taken the seat behind the desk and put his feet up, showing no sign of moving anytime soon. Mycroft learned that sometimes it was better to just compromise with Sherlock than to argue with him.

"Anderson knew you don't actually have a teaching degree, Sherlock. You're supposed to be undercover and-"

"I _am_ undercover. Anderson was just trying to spread rumors, he had no way of knowing they were actually true." The two brothers sat in silence for a moment, staring each other down. In the end, it was Mycroft that broke eye contact first.

"As long as you are positive that no one knows why you are _actually_ here, then we don't have a problem."

"Good," Sherlock said, standing up from his seat. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to put together my lesson plan for tomorrow."

Mycroft sighed as he watched his younger brother exit his office. He didn't particularly _like_ working with him, but he knew that Sherlock was his only hope...


End file.
